Tomorrow It Will Be Okay

One hundred years ago and the dust filled the sky
Filled up the lungs of every man, woman, and child
Because they’d ripped up the earth with the teeth of a plow
Until dust darkened their days as it rose from the ground
Swapped grassland for cropland and the soil screamed, No!
And then the wind galloped in, and she started to blow

You could choke on that air, so heavy with grit
Through cracks in the house, through coughing fits
But it was time to get rich on corn and wheat
Besides, the government said, You can all have a piece
Of this impossible land, meant to slumber alone
Though the Natives warned: Mother Nature, she’ll groan

But this is our Earth to sow and our Earth to till
So they forged ahead, moved in for the kill
Who knew they’d end up so defeated and buried
Beneath hallowed ground of the weary and wary
Still, others sickened by broken ideals
Breathing that dust, living that dream

Over three million souls displaced from the Plains
Yet for ten long years, the stubborn they stayed
Wet rags to their faces, dirt under their nails
We will tame this earth, we will prevail
They told themselves: Tomorrow it will be okay
The black sky will turn blue, we’ll all feel the rain

And those suits in the city, it wasn’t their fight
Until the day the black blizzard ushered in night
A man named Bennett was set to plead again
Wished to conserve soil, correct our sins
But Congress was bored and Congress was tired
This conservation bit? You’re a bird on a wire

But in a stroke of fate, Mother Nature released a big sigh
The storm rolled this time for a thousand miles
Washington grew dark as Bennett took the floor
It wasn’t just the poor who couldn’t breathe anymore
So the ones in power shouted, Yes! We must conserve the soil!
We won’t ruin this Earth, we’ll show her we’re loyal

The suits – they listened, and the farmers – they learned
And the Plains slowly recovered from all the hurt
The broken people sat back, relieved they could breathe
It seemed simple now, future warnings they’d heed
They vowed to never again be foolish, it would all be okay…
Then I look out my window and see another dark day

……………
Poem written by Hallie Shepherd
Historical facts contained within created by the People
Future of the planet determined by…. ?


Hallie Shepherd is a writer, actress, and film producer. Follow her on Instagram where she celebrates the stories we tell.